As summarized by the New York Times, "Falun Gong is a form of qigong, an ancient practice of breathing exercises, but also incorporates a spiritual element and some unique beliefs, including one that followers have a spinning wheel in their bellies that pushes out evil and attracts good. In 1999, its founder, Li Hongzhi, told a Time magazine reporter that aliens from other planets were responsible for corrupting mankind by teaching modern science."

The government of China has taken severe measures to suppress the group’s activities ever since thousands of practitioners appeared without warning for a demonstration in front of the Zhongnanhai government complex in Beijing in 1999.